A 33-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 34 years for a gangland shooting outside an east London restaurant that left a nine-year-old girl with a bullet lodged in her brain.
Javon Riley, from Tottenham, was found guilty at the Old Bailey of causing grievous harm with intent to the girl and attempting to murder three men. The shooting occurred on 29 May last year at the Evin restaurant in Kingsland High Street, Hackney, as the girl ate ice-cream with her family.
The court heard that the attack was part of a feud between the Tottenham Turks and Hackney Turks gangs. Riley carried out reconnaissance before the shooting and drove the gunman away in a stolen car, which was later burned out. The gunman remains at large.
The girl spent three months in hospital and will suffer lifelong physical and cognitive problems. Her mother's victim impact statement, read in court, described the family's ongoing trauma and grief for the life their daughter lost.
Scotland Yard has offered up to £15,000 for information leading to the arrest of the shooter. Detective Chief Inspector Joanna Yorke urged anyone with information to come forward, saying it is vital to secure justice for the young girl and her family.
